A brighter shade of hipster rock.
The Stills - Without Feathers Alternative Press - Editorial Intern on 6/7/06 @ 11:37 AM - altpress.com
[4/5] In the spirit of self-reinvention, the Stills have shaken off the arch gloominess of their 2004 debut album and leapt into sunny major-key bliss on
Without Feathers. Evidently, surviving a massive lineup change and embracing their inner Canuck (specifically, the Band) have brightened up the NYC-via-Montreal band somethin' nice: "Oh Shoplifter" is an infectious ray of sunshine that's all handclaps and foot stomps, and "Destroyer" sounds like a lost '70s-pop-radio hit, complete with punchy horns and bubbling organ. That's not to say the NYC-informed spirit of the Stills' American experience isn't still in evidence: "Helicopters" and "Baby Blues" (featuring vocals by Metric's Emily Haines) hum and pulse with the angular grit of the Strokes--but the infusion of new blood, thankfully, seems to have put the Stills' post-punk posturing and emotional distance to bed for good.
(VICE/ATLANTIC) Erick Haight
Official Website: http://www.atlanticrecords.com
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